


Enough is enough

by Northlight



Category: Duskwood (Everbyte Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Detectives, Eventual Romance, F/M, Flirting, Possible Character Death, Possible smut, Rescue Mission, So much flirting, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:55:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 12,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29492427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northlight/pseuds/Northlight
Summary: The story picks up right after the end of episode seven, major spoilers ahead.It explores what might happen after the video call and maybe even after Hannah is found.Lots of romance on the way, enjoy.
Relationships: Jake/MC, Jake/Original Character(s), Jake/Player
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

"Richy? Richy answer me! Please!"  
The phone call broke off. I told him I had a bad feeling. Who would go into the woods by themselves while a murderer was out there threatening us? Maybe I could've stopped him? I have to find him. Maybe he isn't dead yet.   
I returned to my phone, hastily texting the group, but suddenly a call from Jake came in. I accepted with shaking hands.  
"I saw the videocall. Enough is enough. Will you go to Duskwood with me?", his voice was distorted as always and his words baffled me.   
"Together? But how?"  
"I managed to get some distance between me and my pursuers. It should be enough for this mission."  
I tried to compose myself. This was absolute madness. But we had to take action with everyone else trying to get away.  
"Ok, I'm in."  
"I'll pick you up. Just wait."  
And with that he ended the call.   
I immediately got up and started throwing things into a suitcase. I had no idea how long it would take for Jake to get here, but it was certain he would be as quick as humanly possible.   
I was closing the zipper as my phone rang again.   
"Jake?"   
"I'm here, please let me in."  
My nerves didn't let me respond with more than a stressed hum. I really was about to meet Jake. I didn't even know what he looked or even sounded like. This might be an awfully dumb decision.  
Against my own doubts I opened the door and took a step back to let the tall man, concealed by his hood like the videos he sent, into my living room and locked the door behind us.   
"Thank you.", his voice was deep but still had something soft about it.   
"Cassia are you okay?"  
His hand reached out and touched mine. It felt like I snapped back into proper consciousness and met his eyes just as he removed his hood. Blue eyes, slightly covered by messy black hair, met mine.   
"I'm sorry, it's a lot to take in right now.", I exhaled a shaky breath and dropped my gaze. Why did his presence make me this nervous?   
Before I could take a deep dive into my mind again I was pulled into a soft embrace. My face met the soft fabric of his shirt and my hands gripped the back of his jacket while his slowly moved up and down my back, soothingly.   
"I know, I feel the same. We just can't rely on the others anymore. This has to end."  
I just nodded.   
"I think it's best to contact the police now. We will have to drive a few hours. I would do it but I don't think that's a good idea, you know?"  
"Don't worry I'll do it."  
The police was a bit confused when I explained my connection to Richy and the group but took my concern seriously. They asked me to come to the startion as soon as possible to try and get data from the phone call and would send out search teams in the meantime. Jake patiently listed until I had hung up.   
"Have you packed your stuff? We need to get going."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens if you put two awkward people, that have a crush on each other, into one car for hours?

I locked the door behind me, pocketing the key and following Jake who carried my suitcase.  
His car was an older, black Honda and somehow it suited him.  
"Get in, I'll just put your suitcase in the trunk."  
You could make out a reassuring smile from under his hood, even in the poor lighting of the street lamps. I simply nodded and returned his smile before getting in the passenger seat.  
"Am I like you imagined me to be?", Jake asked as he stopped the car at yet another red light.  
We hadn't spoken a lot up until this point, both either too nervous or too concentrated on other things to talk.  
"What do you mean?", I tilted my head and looked at him.  
"Well you didn't know a lot about my appearance until today..."  
"Oh uhm well... I had to little to go off to properly image you...but I am certainly not disappointed."  
We both reddened.  
"What do you think about me then?", I gave him a shy glance.  
"Somehow I imagined you to be taller."  
"I'm pretty average, I think."  
"It's just, you're so fierce when you text and somehow that made me think you're taller. But now that I look at you it fits pretty well. You sure don't disappoint either."  
I turned even redder if that was even possible.  
"What's your plan once we arrive?", we were still far away, but I wanted to be properly prepared.  
"First up is police, I'll have to wait outside when you talk to them...but if you're okay with it I'll give you a hidden mic so I can listen in?"  
I nodded. "Sure, and after that?"  
"We'd have to find somewhere to stay. A motel doesn't sound like the safest plan though."  
"Since the others are leaving for the cabin, maybe we can stay at one of their homes?"  
"That's a good idea, could you ask one of them?"  
"Will do."  
As soon as I unlocked my phone, I was bombarded with notifications. The group was going haywire and I had forgotten to check on them.  
Quickly I scrolled through the chat to catch up. They were still planning to leave, the search for Richy had apparently been unsuccessful for now.  
I switched to Jessy's contact and called her, she picked up after the first ring.  
"Cassia what are you gonna do? I fear we don't have much time left."  
"Jessy please just listen. Don't freak out. You have to trust me."  
"I don't like where this is going.", Jessy mumbled but fell into silence after that.  
"I'm on my way. To Duskwood. The police wants to check my phone to maybe trace Richy. I want to help find them. But I need a place to stay...would it be okay if I stayed at your place? And please don't tell the others...we have to be careful."  
"There's no way I can talk you out of this, right?"  
"No chance."  
"I'll leave a key in my red shoes out front for you. Be safe."  
"Thank you, you too."  
And with that she hung up.  
"We're staying at Jessy's place."  
"Sounds good."


	3. Chapter 3

Jake had asked me to connect my phone to the radio and just play the music I liked so now I was eyeing him from the side, gaging his opinion solely by the expressions on his face.  
"I feel very watched.", he chuckled.  
"Maybe its the government?"  
"Nope...will you stop staring if I tell you I like the music?"  
"Well do you?", I tilted my had and kept watching his face.  
"Yeah, we have a similar taste."  
He yawned for what felt like the hundredth time.  
"Let me drive, you're too tired."  
He grumbled but pulled over at the next parking lot.  
We quickly switched sides and while I readjusted the seat and mirrors I felt stared at.  
"Are you taking revenge?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about.", his smile was devilish.  
"Oh just you wait..."  
"I might have taken you seriously if your smile wasn't as adorable."  
"Since when do you have such a big mouth?", I squeaked, red spreading across my cheeks.  
He just laughed. 

"Is it okay if I delete our texts? It's better if the police doesn't know I'm here."  
Jake had his laptop in his lap working on whatever he was always working on.  
"Oh yes I haven't even thought about that. Do whatever you have to do."  
He plugged my phone into his laptop and immediately started typing. I would have been staring with how fascinating it was but I still had to focus on the road ahead of us.  
One last press on the enter key and he shut his laptop.  
"Done.", his smile was triumphant.  
"That was quick."  
"It's pretty easy. Maybe I can teach you one day."  
"That would be cool. Oh look! We're almost there."  
"Finally!"  
He rummaged trough his backpack as I parked the car a few streets away from the police station.  
"Here you go.", Jake handed me a little black chip. "Stick it to your chest, I'll be keeping watch from here. If something's wrong tell me and I'll be there."  
"Thank you. I'll be quick."  
I got out of the car and walked to the station. My hands weren't shaking as much anymore. I felt like I could finally do something.  
"Good evening, how can I help you?", the man behind the reception greeted me.  
"Hi, I'm Cassia Schuster. I called earlier about an attack on Richy Rogers."  
The officers face darkened.  
"Officer Donfort is waiting for you. I'll take you to him."  
"Thank you."  
I followed the young policeman trough a hallway until he opened a door and let me in. It was Mr. Donforts office.  
He looked tired, sunken onto the dark wood of his table but shot up when he noticed me.  
"Miss Schuster I am glad you could make it this quick.", he smiled and shook my hand.  
"Of course."  
He was about a head taller than me, his grey hair kept short, he looked fit for his age but you could tell the stress was taking a major toll on him.  
"I have to take your statement now. You can sit down."  
He gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk while he sat down on the chair behind it. I nodded and sat down as well.  
"You have the right to remain silent at any time as well as consulting a lawyer."  
I nodded again and he continued.  
"So how exactly did you meet the group?"  
"Thomas texted me and asked for help. He told me Hannah had sent him my number but the message dissappeared shortly after."  
Donfort wrote something down and then continued.  
"So you knew Hannah?"  
"No, I don't think so. But I felt sorry for the others. They were so sure I could help them, so I just tried my best."  
And so I told him the whole story, except for Jake, up until Richys attack.  
"You haven't found him yet have you?"  
The officer just shook his head.  
"We need to take a look at your phone now, maybe we can track him."  
I pulled out my phone but hesitated as I saw the screen.  
"Fuck. Not again."


	4. Chapter 4

Donfort leaned over the table to take a look at the screen.   
"What is happening? Erasing all data? Why?"   
I frantically pressed the 'block attack' button but it didn't work.  
"Someone is trying to hack my phone, I had always been able to block it before but now it's not working."  
The countdown was ticking down way too fast.  
Suddenly I could hear yelling and slamming doors.   
Officer Donfort pulled out his gun as the door slammed open.   
"Stop! Don't shoot!", I yelled as Jake stormed into the room.   
"Who are you? Get away!", Donfort eyed the Hacker with distrust.   
"Please, let him do whatever he needs to do. He's on our side!", I pleaded, shaking with stress. The beeps of the timer got louder.  
"Fine, but I'll keep the gun out. Don't try anything stupid. Everybody else can go."  
The other officers left, although reluctantly as Jake plugged my phone into his laptop and started typing like crazy.   
"What is he doing?", the policeman moved closer to look over his shoulder.   
"He's blocking the attack.", I mumbled, eyes glued to the screen.   
Beep  
The screen was flashing   
Beep  
Jake kept frantically switching between programs  
Beep  
"Get out of Duskwood. This is my last...", the voice of the man without a face sounded trough my phone but was broken off by Jake successfully blocking all access to the device.   
"Oh thank god.", I pulled Jake into a shaky hug until I realized what I was doing and moved away quickly.   
"Ok, both of you, sit down. You owe me an explanation."  
Hannahs father fell back onto his chair while I sat down next to Jake. He took my hand in his and squeezed. This was going to be a mess.   
"Officer Donfort, I am Jake Schwarz. I tried to help the group in finding Hannah."  
"Jake? You don't mean...my son?"   
"That's me." Jake removed his hood.   
Jake's father shot up and hugged him over the table.   
"I'm so sorry Jake. I would love to properly explain everything, but I feel like we have a mission to finish first."  
"I agree.", you could tell he was positively surprised by his father's reaction. He settled back onto the chair and took my hand again. This time his grip was much softer.   
We quickly explained the connections he had to the group and Officer Donfort nodded.   
"Would you help us trace the phonecall? I think our IT department could learn a lot from you."  
"That's what I'm here for."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who ya gonna call?  
> JAKE THE HACKER
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying it so far :)


	5. Chapter 5

"I brought coffee."  
Jake looked up from the screen and smirked at me.  
"Good timing, I was about to fall asleep."  
He patted the chair next to him.   
I sat down and handed him the hot beverage.   
The screen was showing a map of Duskwood but no location yet, only a huge radius, too huge to search it all.   
"I should be able to to narrow it down quite a bit more. Maybe we can start more targeted searches tonight."  
"I hope so. I'm really worried about Richy."  
"Me too. But we're doing everything in our power."  
The hacker took a sip of his coffee and started working again.  
I had already talked about all of our findings in detail with Officer Donfort. We had discussed leads and suspects and were even able to release Phil. To my surprise he decided to meet the rest of the group in the cabin and check on them.  
Now that I couldn't do anything else I just felt tired.   
I couldn't focus on the numbers on the screen anymore and the rythmic clacking of the keyboard just pulled me deeper into much needed sleep.  
"Cassia? Wake up. They're all preparing for the search and we should catch some sleep."  
I lifted my head from the table.  
"Search? We're not helping?", I mumbled while rubbing my eyes.  
"No, we're not trained for search parties, and...", he gestured towards me, "way too tired to be of any help."  
"I don't like it, but you're right.", I yawned and stretched.  
Jake quickly gathered his stuff and left the office with me. Officer Donfort was standing in the lobby talking to his team about the plan for the search.   
We both gave him a little wave, not wanting to interrupt his speach.   
He smiled and waved back.   
"He was really happy to see you."  
I turned to Jake while exiting the station.   
"Yeah, I expected all hell to break loose. But I had to tell him the truth. I hope I didn't just destroy all progress against the pursuers."  
His gaze dropped to the ground. I could feel the worry radiating off of him.   
"We'll work something out. We always do."  
I put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a soft smile. To my relief he returned it. 

I sank into the passenger seat after a bit of arguing about who was less tired and better suited to drive. I had given up after I remembered that I could get away with staring at him for a while that way.   
"You're doing it again.", he grumbled but the was a tinge of amusement in his tone.   
"I know."  
"You know that this is the most social interaction I've had in forever?"   
"You're doing really good."  
"Probably because I already feel comfortable enough with you.", his voice got softer but I could still hear him.   
"We're partners in crime after all.", I giggled to try to distract from how flustered I was.   
"True."

We entered Jessy's apartment and locked the door behind us.   
It was weird to be in the home of a person you never met without them there.   
The furniture was mainly in warm colors and while it had a modern look to it, everything still seemed so cozy. There were pictures of different countries everywhere, some with Jessy in them and some without.   
The kitchen and living room were open and connected so the bedroom must be the door to the right.   
I dragged my suitcase behind me into the bedroom and slumped down onto the big bed. The room was small, filled by only the bed, a closet and a nightstand on either side of the bed. The other door must lead to the bathroom.   
"I'll go and change real quick.", I rummaged through my clothes to find my pyjamas, gathered them in my arms and dissappeared into the bathroom.   
When I came back Jake had already changed into comfy clothes and was sitting on the bed, typing something on his phone.   
I hesitated before reaching for the door to the living room.   
"Where are you going?", Jake tilted his head and looked up at me.   
"Uh...the couch?"   
"I thought you wanted to sleep?"   
"Well yeah that's my plan.", I also tilted my head.   
"On the couch?", he almost sounded insulted.   
"Why not?"   
"Because there's plenty of space here.", he patted the mattress.   
"I thought...", I mumbled before I was interrupted.   
"I thought we were partners in crime?", his hands reached for me.   
I sighed and walked towards him. He took my hands and pulled me onto the bed with him.   
We both rolled into our blankets before giving each other a soft "Good night."  
and falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

I blinked awake and found myself face to face with Jake's shirt. Underneath me. I was laying on top of him. Maybe he's not awake yet? I could try to slide off without waking him.  
"Good morning.", a pair of arms around me tightened.  
Crap. He's already awake.  
Wait why is he holding onto me?  
I carefully lifted my head to try and look into his face.  
He was still sleepy and disheveled but his smile was contagious.  
"One might think you're the antisocial hacker with how shy you are.", he teased.  
"Well it's not like I usually wake up on top of a guy I've only met yesterday.", I grumbled and hid my face against his chest again.  
"I thought we were partners in crime?", I was slightly rocked by his laugh.  
"I liked socially awkward Jake more."  
"Hey! That's not fair.", he sulked.  
"Might also be a lie...", I simply replied.  
"It better be."  
We stayed like that for a while until my phone rang.  
"Ugh not now."  
I untangled from Jake and rolled off him to grab my phone.  
"Police? Please tell me they found him."  
I accepted the call while Jake scooted closer so he could listen as well.  
"Miss Schuster. I wanted to inform you that our search has been unsuccessful. I'm sorry. Could you come to the station later? I would like to get you and Jake to help with the further investigation.", Officer Donfort sounded hoarse.  
"We'll be there.", I sighed. I had been so hopeful they'd find Richy.  
"Thank you."  
And with that he hung up.  
"This might be a good sign. If Richy was dead he'd probably just left him there. If we find him we'll find Hannah too.", Jake wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to his chest.  
"I hope you're right. How about some breakfast?"  
His stomach growled against my back.  
I just stood up laughing and went to check the kitchen for food. Apparently Jessy had left some food for us, or rather me, she didn't know Jake was here.  
I made some quick pancakes as Jake brought me my phone.  
"It's Jessy." he said as I peeked at who was calling.  
I grabbed the phone and accepted. Immediately a group of voices started talking over each other. I flinched and put the phone on the counter, putting the call on speaker so I could keep cooking.  
"Cassia!", Jessy screeched.  
"You got Phil out of prison! Thank you!", her voice got increasingly louder, even Jake took a step back.  
"Uh no problem...I didn't really do much though.", I replied.  
"Doesn't matter. Guys shut up will you! I'm trying to have a conversation here! Do you know anything new about Richy?", everyone fell silent at that.  
"They went on another search, with the data from my phone. But he wasn't there. I'm going back to the station later.", I hated only having bad news.  
"But maybe that means he's just kidnapped? Wait. You're in Duskwood?", the deep voice sounded like Dan.  
"Yeah, but please don't worry guys. Well find them." A few annoyed grumbles could be heard but they didn't protest.   
I put a few pancakes on a plate and handed it to Jake.  
I wonder how they'd react if they knew he was with me.  
"Cassia?", Jessy called out.  
"Sorry what did you say?"  
"Phil mentioned some chaos at the police station when you were there yesterday. What's up with that?"  
"That's kind of a complicated story. I can't talk about it now. Maybe once we've found Richy and Hannah."  
"Ugh no fair! What about Jake? Did he contact you?"  
Another difficult question. I didn't want to lie though.  
"Yeah, he's helping me a lot."  
"Good. I guess? Dan is not looking too happy but oh well, you know him."  
"Sorry Dan but I still don't think he's the psycho."  
"I thought so. Tell him I'll beat him to dust if he pulls any shit with you.", Dan was dead serious.  
I turned my head to Jake who was sitting on the counter, eating pancakes. He had raised his eyebrow and gave a thumbs up.  
I giggled.  
"Cassia I mean it.", Dan grumbled.  
"I'll let him know. But I would much prefer you beating that faceless fucker."  
"Same thing."  
You could hear Jessy groan and apparently she took the phone back from Dan.  
"Have I mentioned he's not a morning person?"  
"Sounds like all of you are having a great time.", I smirked. I could only imagine the chaos in their cabin.  
"Let's just say I wouldn't mind if you solve all of this as soon as possible."  
"Now that you mention it I should probably hurry. The earlier I get to the station the more progress we can make."  
"Ugh you're right. But if you have any news let us know."  
"Don't worry you'll be the first to know."  
We said our goodbyes and hung up. With a sigh I grabbed my plate of pancakes and started eating.  
"I would love to see Dan's reaction if he saw that I'm here with you.", Jake's smile was devilish.  
"He would be on the doorstep within seconds.", I cringed at the thought.  
"Probably. Anyways I'm gonna take a quick shower."  
Jake put everything in the dishwasher as I kept eating.  
Before he dissappeared in the bedroom he turned back with a wink and said: "You can join me if you want."  
I choked on my food as the door closed.  
I couldn't believe the way he seemed to get cockier as the time went on.  
And I just got increasingly more flustered.  
Wonderful.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has anyone ordered tooth rotting fluff? No? Well I'm just gonna leave it here then ;)  
> Oh and there's some Jake backstory in there too.  
> I'll be hiding in my blankets, trying to come up with a decent plot, if anyone needs me.

I loaded the dishwasher after I finished eating and then decided to gather my stuff so I could shower when Jake was done.  
Shortly after the door opened.  
"Your turn."  
I quickly showered, got dressed and put my purple and blue curls into a ponytail.  
In the bedroom Jake was hastily typing on his laptop.  
"What's going on?"  
"Another hacking attempt.", he sounded stressed.  
"Can I help you?", I already knew the answer but I wanted to at least try.  
Jake shook his head.  
"I'll have to put some stronger protections in place when this is through, I'll show you some stuff then."  
I nodded and sat down. This wasn't good.  
To my relief Jake was able to block the attack without another creepy threat from the man without a face. Still I felt unsettled.  
Jake noticed and pulled me into a soft hug.  
"Don't worry. I'll protect you.", he whispered into my hair.  
"What about you though? You've already put yourself into a bad spot with that situation at the police station."  
"I know it seems bad but they haven't caught onto me yet. I don't like the idea but my father might be able to help me."  
"Can you tell me how you got into this? I mean running away."  
He sighed.  
"I can't tell you much, but it's honestly not that interesting. I was hired by a client to uncover some corruption in the government. I found a ton of stuff actually. But when I gave my client what they wanted I got no reply. I thought it was weird and told a fellow colleague I was close to about what happened. He helped me look into it and we discovered that I had been screwed over. The client was apparently working for that part of the government but wanted to get behind that corruption. Well they weren't careful enough. But as they were about to be found out they put all the blame on me. The department has some good hackers too...and the only choice I had was to get the fuck away. I don't know what these people are capable of. The stuff I discovered isn't too comforting. I'm sorry this is probably not what you wanted to hear..."  
I hugged him tighter.  
"No it's fine! I asked. Thank you for telling me."  
"Nothing to thank me for."  
Suddenly I felt his hands under my thighs as he stood up with me in his arms.  
I tilted my head back to look at him.  
"What are you doing?", I murmured.  
"We need to get going. But I'm not ready to let go of you yet."  
With that my head sunk back against his chest.  
"Okay."  
"Jake, Cassia, good to see you two.", Officer Donfort smiled.  
We both shook his hand.  
"Is it okay if I talk to Jake alone for a while? Cassia, there are some files on my desk you should take a look at."  
"Sure."  
I was led to the office by the officer that greeted me yesterday as Jake and his father dissappear in the opposite direction.  
The files were of the dissapearance and murder of Jennifer as well as the girl that had been found recently. I dug through them and read each page carefully. I learned a lot about them as a person but I didn't feel like I progressed in the case.  
I let my head fall onto the table.  
"I'm happy to see you too.", Jake laughed.  
"Oh, sorry I didn't see you there. My brain just doesn't want function anymore."  
"Dang, I just wanted to tell you what I've talked about with my father.", he shrugged and went to turn around.  
"Jake? No fair, get back here and tell me!"  
His giggles didn't help my grumpiness.  
"Well if you insist.", he turned and sat on the chair across of mine.  
"Since we're helping with the investigation we are secured by witness protection. So for now we're safe. I'll work out everything else once we caught the murderer. I'm planning on putting up further protection on your phone now and apparently the police is planning to repeat the search in daylight today. We might be able to join in."  
He gave me a thumbs up and smiled.  
"Ok...this is a lot. But yay?"  
Only one corner of my mouth managed to turn upwards.  
"Yay indeed. And now...", he put his stuff on the desk and lifted me off the chair, to which I squeaked, only to set me back down on his lap.  
"...you'll learn all about the art of staring at numbers for hours."  
The hacker started booting up his equipment.  
"Remember when you asked me if you were like I imagined you to be?", I carefully started.  
"Hmm?", he hummed into my ear.  
"Well I sure didn't expect you to be this confident with being close to me. Where does that come from?"  
Hopefully he wouldn't take it the wrong way.  
"You know I like you. And I trust you. Now that I can see your face I don't struggle with interpreting your reactions as much. Aaaaand:", he leaned closer to whisper into my ear, "I might even find some enjoyment in getting you flustered. Just a little bit."  
Goosebumps spread across my neck. I must have been bright red by now.  
He leaned back a bit and turned more serious though.  
"If you don't feel comfortable I'll stop, if that's what you're trying to tell me?", he tilted his head as I turned a bit so I could look at him.  
"Don't worry, I don't mind. I was just surprised, that's all."  
His big smile returned and he whispered in my ear as he unlocked the laptop:  
"Good. I wouldn't want to scare off my partner in crime."  
"You'll never let that one go will you?", I giggled and shook my head.  
"Nope. And now focus."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's getting *heated*

"Everybody stays in their groups. You stick to your assigned area unless instructed otherwise. If you find anything that might be of relevance use your gloves and put it in one of the zip lock bags and report it to me immediately. And most importantly stay safe."  
Everybody in the lobby nodded.  
Mr. Donfort was giving his last instructions before the search. Everyone got together with their groups and left.   
Donfort would go with me and Jake since we were both not trained and not allowed to carry a weapon. But I much preferred the, albeit a bit uncomfortable, though that might just be because it didn't fit me that well, bullet proof vest to a gun.   
Probably because it protected me without requiring any skill on my part.   
We had devided the radius into even parts that we could check from our phones to ensure that we were as efficient as possible.   
Jake held my hand as we walked through the forest, eyeing each bump and each stone with suspicion. It was exhausting, not necessarily physically, we were moving really slowly, but rather mentally. You had to pay attention to every little detail for a few hours. Officer Donfort had raised a brow when he saw his son holding my hand but he didn't say anything. I wouldn't even know what to answer.   
I was glad to hear that Jake and Charles, Mr. Donfort's first name, had talked about his absence in Jake's life and were able to get along so well.   
"We're almost done, we just have to turn back to where we parked and check everything on the way there.", Charles led us through the forest.  
Suddenly his phone rang and he picked it up.   
"Ok that's good. Bring it back to the station, we'll try to take some DNA testing first before we can check the data. We should be there in about half an hour. Ok bye."  
He pocketed his phone and turned to us.   
"They've found a phone. We can't confirm it's Richy's but most likely. But I don't know if that will help us with their location.", he sighed.   
"It's better than nothing though", I tried to lift the mood.   
"You're right."

Back at the station, after the DNA samples were secured and sent out for testing, Jake filtered out everything that happened on Richy's phone on the day he was attacked and I went to check the contents of what he had found.   
"Nothing in his texts.", I reported back.   
"That's everything I got.", Jake sighed.   
"Crap."  
"You can say that again."  
Someone knocked and entered the office, it was Hannah's father.   
"Nothing useful?", he carefully asked.   
"No, I'm sorry.", I shook my head.  
"Nothing to apologize for. You two are a huge help, but you should get home, I need you well rested."  
And with that he left.   
"He's right. Let's pack our stuff, I'm starving.", Jake sighed. 

We were cooking together, listening to music and occasionally singing along. It felt like we had lived together for a long time.  
"Jake?"   
"Hm?"  
I started fidgeting.   
"What is this between us?"  
"Honestly? I don't know. But I like it."  
"Me too."

"Do you need convincing this time around too or will you come to bed with me?", Jake called from the bedroom.   
"Patience! I just need some moisturizer and then I'm all yours."  
My eyes went wide as I realized what I just said. Why did I say that? He would never let this go.  
As I entered the bedroom Jake had this devilish grin that I've grown to both love and fear. Right now I was mortified.   
"All mine? I like the sound of that."  
The butterflies in my stomach were waging a war with my desire for the ground to swallow me.   
"You ok? You look like you just sold your soul to the devil.", Jake inquired  
"I think that might be the case.", I mumbled as I settled on my side of the bed.   
"Am I that bad? I thought you liked me?", he pouted.   
"We both know you will shamelessly abuse what I said. That is pretty devilish to me."  
"If you say so, look me in the eyes and tell me you don't like it.", he challenged.   
I turned to face him and went to speak but the look in his eyes melted away my determination. So now I was just staring at him with my mouth slightly opened.   
He moved closer.   
My heart started racing.   
His face was only a few inches from mine.   
I took a deap breath.   
And closed the gap between us.   
I felt like I was on fire.   
His hand cupped my cheek and we deepened the kiss.   
I placed my hands on his chest and he rolled us over so I was on top of him as his hands moved to my hips.   
Slowly we pulled back to catch our breaths.   
"Can I call you mine now?", Jake's voice seemed deeper as he stared into my eyes.   
"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"  
My heart wouldn't stop racing.   
"Maybe.", he tried to mask his nervousness but failed miserably.   
"I'm yours."  
His face broke into a huge smile before leaning in to kiss me again.   
We made out until we both had to catch our breaths again, smiled at each other and cuddled up before falling asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama baby drama ;)

I woke up disoriented. It was still dark but a phone was ringing.  
" Ugh what is this about?", Jake growled before stretching.  
"The police is calling.", I immediately started getting nervous but leaned over to accept the call.  
I put the phone on speaker and scooted back to Jake so he could hear it too.  
"I am very sorry to disturb you this late, but I just got a call from Hannah. She couldn't really say anything except she's in some house in the woods. Richy is with her. But we need urgent help to trace the location. Can the two of you come to the station?", Officer Donfort's voice is flooded with emotion and he almost sounds pleading.  
Jake immediately hopped out of bed and started gathering his stuff.  
"We're coming as fast as we can.", I assured the man.  
Never in my life have I gotten dressed as fast as I did today. It was about 4 in the morning and pitch black outside as we sped to the station.  
We ran inside and straight to Charles' office, he gave us his phone and Jake started working.  
I opened an overview of the woods and helped Jake look for any coordinates he got on the map, so the search troops would have something take with them.  
The hacker was sure he'd need an hour at the most so all but two young officers, that would be saying behind with us to occupy the station and help guide the group to their destination trough GPS tracking.  
"A bit more north.", Jake instructed.  
I moved the cursor and placed a red dot on the destination.  
"That's so far into the woods. We would've never found them.", I mumbled.  
"Everything will be fine now.", Jake took my hand in his and squeezed.  
"I hope so."

"They're almost there.", Jake pointed to the screen from which we tracked the search party. I had called the others earlier and told them about the progress. They were nervous, just like me. There was still so much that could go wrong.  
"I just want this to be over."  
Distantly a door slammed open. We shot up.  
Screams. A loud thump.  
"YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD WIN?"  
Even through hallways I could recognize that voice. The man without a face.  
We looked at each other in terror.  
"GIVE ME THE GIRL AND THE REST OF YOU WILL BE UNHARMED!"  
His voice boomed through the hallways.  
"Fuck that.", Jake almost growled.  
He pulled me back into the room and dumped the laptop and some other stuff into his backpack.  
"Help me move the desk please."  
Together we shoved the heavy wooden table against the door. Then Jake ran to close the blinds as I was hastily typing a message to Officer Donfort.  
"Where are the other officers?", I whispered.  
"I'm guessing the bang earlier was at least one of them being knocked out. Damn it. If I knew names I could try to get their numbers. So there's no way to communicate with them. The others will need 10 to 20 minutes to get here from where they are."  
"The car is out front. But he would probably see us. Especially if we have to smash a window to get out. I really don't want to abandon the others here anyways."  
It felt like we had no options. While we didn't hear him coming closer, we still couldn't be sure of his position.  
Jake started searching the room.  
"I need some kind of weapon. If he gets in some way we're fucked."  
Suddenly he shot up and started digging through his backpack. A pocket knife. Better than nothing.  
Just in time something, or rather someone slammed against the door.  
"I know you're in there. You have no chance against me. I repeat my offer: give me the girl and everybody else will go out unharmed."  
Another slam against the door. But the desk held up.  
Jake pulled me behind him.  
A few steps echoed. Then another slam. The man had ran and jumped against the upper part of the door. The part that was not supported by the desk.  
The upper hinge creaked and the wood started splintering.  
"Get out the window. Now.", Jake pushed me towards the other side of the room.  
"Not so fast!"  
The door broke in half with a final blow and a masked man charged towards me.  
I tried to smash open the window but before I could climb through it I was grabbed by my hair and yanked away. Shards of glass slid against my skin and cut me open.  
Jake had been shoved on the ground and was trying to get get back up but was kicked back down by our attacker.  
I screamed and wriggled in his grip. It was useless. His arm wrapped around my throat and pulled me against him.  
Out of desperation I lifted my leg and kicked back, hoping to hit his knee. And apparently I did.  
He cried out in agony before swaying a bit but the man caught himself and tightened the grip on my throat. Fuck.  
The point of a knife poked my side.  
"No more misbehaving now."  
Jake had gotten back up but could only stare with wide eyes. If he provoked the man he could kill me. We were helpless.  
"This could have been much easier. But you two really thought you could win huh?"  
The man spat with disgust in his voice.  
"Let her go!", the hackers voice sounded panicked.  
"Pah, you wish! This is what you get for getting involved in matters that don't concern you."  
I was being pulled back towards the broken door.  
We were helpless.  
"Duck!", Jake screamed suddenly.  
I pulled my head down as far as I could.  
A loud bang. Cursing. The grip around me loosened and I fell forward into the room.  
Pain shot through my bleeding arms as I tried to break my fall.  
Jake rushed to my side and helped me up.  
As I turned I could see the man without a face slumped against the desk, his mask slowly coloring red with blood.  
One of the officers that stayed behind with us was handcuffing the bleeding man. He had knocked him out with a metal pipe.

We were safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my first time writing a fighting scene so excuse that mess XD
> 
> But we're nearing the end of the main plot *yay* but that doesn't mean this story will be over!  
> I have some chapters planned after everything is resolved and I think I'll make this into a series so I can add some one shots whenever I'm inspired :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the attack and lots of relieved reactions :)

It didn't take long for the police and ambulance to arrive.  
We were checked by one of the paramedics as the man without a face and the unconscious officer were brought to the hospital.  
Jake had cracked a rib but was only bruised otherwise.  
"I'll have to remove the shards by hand.", the paramedic said to me.  
I cringed but nodded. Jake grabbed my hand and gave it a slight squeeze as the woman got to work on my other arm.  
My eyes squeezed shut as I endured the procedure.  
"Cassia! Jake!", Officer Donfort jogged towards us.  
I gave him a nod but didn't dare to speak and hid my face against Jake's shoulder as another rather big shard was pulled from my wounds.  
"Are Richy and Hannah ok?", Jake spoke my mind.  
"They're relatively fine. Bruised, cold and malnourished but alive. They are getting the best treatment possible at the hospital. But what about you two?", I felt his eyes on me.  
The paramedic told him our diagnoses.  
"Do you know who was behind the mask yet?", I pressed out behind gritted teeth.  
"Alan.", the officer gulped. "He was an officer too, but was sent into early retirement after some manic episodes. He was in treatment when I last heard of him. But his motive and connection to the cases, we don't know yet."  
Another officer took our statements, my arms had been bandaged, Jake got a prescription for painkillers and with that we were released.  
"I need to talk to my father. He said he'd work something out for our protection after we found the kidnapper. But I don't think it'll be that easy.", he huffed.  
"I think he's still here, go talk to him, I'll inform the others that Hannah and Richy are safe."  
He nodded, gave me a quick kiss and left to look for his father.  
I felt tingly. It would take some time to realize we really were a couple.  
I collected myself and dialed Jessy's number, she picked up immediately.  
"Cassia! Good news please?"  
I heard the rest of the group scrambling to get closer.  
"They're safe, in the hospital right now, but they're not hurt, just dehydrated and malnourished."  
Jessy started squealing, Dan made some sort of victory cry and I heard different voices starting to sob and cry.  
"Do you think they'll allow visitors at the hospital tomorrow?", Jessy spoke up.  
"You can try. I don't know but I think it should be fine."  
"Will you come with us?", I recognized Lilly's voice from that cursed video.  
"Uhm I don't know if I can. I'll have to see. Are you guys coming back home then?"  
"We rented the cabin for a bit longer so we'll stay until that time is up. You have to come over and celebrate with us soon.", Jessy was squeaking from excitement.  
"That sounds fun. Maybe Richy and Hannah can join in in a few days."  
"Yeah, we need to find out when they will be released from hospital when we visit them. Anyways I'll text you the time for tomorrow. You *have* to come with us."  
"I'll try my best.", out of the corner of my eye I saw Jake returning.  
"Jessy I have to hang up now, I'll text you later."  
"See you tomorrow!"  
I ended the call and put my phone away as I was pulled into Jake's arms with my back against his chest.  
"Should I go first?", he mumbled against my hair.  
I nodded.  
"I will release all of the info I collected to the public. It'll be messy but I'm backed up by the police now. So no more running, just a lot of safety protocols and armed guards. And when everything's over and done I'm free *and* there will be changes made towards a better world. I sound like I'm in a bad movie.", he chuckled.  
I turned to kiss him.  
"That's amazing."  
"But since you're my accomplice in some ways it would be best if you stayed with me, wherever that's gonna be. To make sure we're both safe."  
"Is that a bad thing?", I tilted my head.  
"Well while I gained a lot of liberties, for you it would be more restricted than what you're used to."  
"But I would be with you.", I pondered.  
"Is that a bad thing?", his grin was mischievous.  
"Hm we'll see.", I giggled.  
"It's settled then. Now your turn. Anything new from your friends?"  
"They want me to come with them on a hospital visit tomorrow. And they're planning a party when Hannah and Richy are released. But I want you to come with us. Would that be okay?"  
"The only problem is that they don't know I'm here and hate me. Other than that, sure."  
"We can just call them later and tell them. And we have proof that you're innocent, so they have no reason to hate you anymore."  
"That's gonna be interesting. Let's get back to Jessy's place first. I need some food and a comfy bed."  
"Same. And a shower."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta say, I'm happy the "serious" stuff is over. It's not easy to find a solution to this abundance of clues with seemingly no connection. Alan's motive might be a topic later and the whole witness protection stuff for Cassia and Jake but other than that we're just gonna have a fun time <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spice ahead friends, proceed with caution ;)

I looked down at my arms in frustration. Now that the adrenaline wore off my arms started to get really sore and I could barely do anything.  
If only we had a bathtub here. Showering seemed impossible right now.  
"I know you probably won't like this but I could shower with you. You wouldn't have to move your arms a lot or get them soaked in water. I understand if you're not comfortable with that though.", Jake seemed to read my mind. We haven't known each other for long but everything just felt so right between us.  
Still showering with him would be a big step in our very fresh relationship.  
But did I really have much of a choice?  
I sighed.  
"I can keep my underwear on?", he offered.  
"No it's fine. I'm just not used to anybody seeing me undressed."  
"Me neither, we'll just be awkward together okay?", his laugh was contagious.  
"Okay."  
And so I followed him into the bathroom.

"Who goes first? I can only undress one of us at a time."  
"We take turns. My bandages have to go first though."  
He nodded and started unraveling the fabric around my arms. The cuts were starting to dry up, while some of the bigger gashes had required stitches.   
"I'm sorry I couldn't prevent this.", his voice was low and somber.   
"Nonsense. Without your quick thinking he probably would have done a lot worse."  
"I don't even want to think about it."  
"Then don't."   
I placed a soft kiss on his lips as the bandages fell to the ground.   
Next he pulled his hoodie over his head. The shirt underneath was tugged up a bit, revealing his abs but it slipped back down to my disappointment.   
My turn.  
"Lift your arms please."  
His hands grabbed the hem of my shirt and slowly tugged it upwards. The rough skin of his fingers grazed my sides and I shivered.   
He concentrated on getting my arms out without hurting me in the process, bottom lip caught in between his teeth but as my shirt piled on top of the other clothes his eyes fell on my chest and the lacey bra I was wearing.   
"Your turn.", I giggled and broke his focus. He huffed but pulled his shirt off in one quick movement.   
My turn to stare. I knew he was well muscled since I had seen his arms but I had never seen him shirtless before.   
"Bra or pants first?", his voice caught my attention.   
"Pants.", I could only whisper.   
Again he was unnecessarily slow, trailing his fingers across my skin. But I would lie if I said I didn't enjoy it.   
I stepped out of the pants left in only my underwear.   
I heard his belt clink and soon he was left in only his boxers.   
"Bet I can get my socks off only using my feet faster than you?", I giggled.   
"Bring it on."  
We both started wiggling around like crazy, stepping on our own toes and occasionally loosing balance and bumping into each other.  
Of course I won.   
Jake laughed out of breath and pulled off the sock that was stuck halfway off his foot but grew more serious as he looked back up at me.  
"Bra or panties?"  
"Bra?"  
"You sure you're still okay with this?"   
"I'm fine."  
He pulled my towards him by my hips, distracting me with a sensual kiss as his hands caressed up my back and opened the clasp of my bra.   
Slowly he pulled back, taking the piece of clothing with him.   
He obviously tried not to stare but still his eyes kept trailing back to my boobs.   
If it didn't hurt I'd have tried to cover myself by crossing my arms but it wasn't worth it.   
Jake's slight shaking in his hands as he grabbed the waistband of his boxers comforted me in some way. Like he said we were nervous together but there were also a lot of other feelings involved. One of them became rather obvious as his boxers hit the floor.   
He blushed.   
"Cassia, I'm so sorry... I don't want to make this more uncomfortable for you."   
"What are you talking about? I would probably be kind of insulted if you weren't...uh...you know."  
Now I blushed too.  
With another soft kiss his fingers hooked into the waistband of my panties and pulled them of my legs.   
He stood back up and pulled me against him.   
My breasts pressed against his chest as his lips found mine again. He was still soft and careful with his touches but something made them feel much more intense.   
I gasped as one of his hands trailed up my side and grazed the side of my boob.   
His lips kissed down my neck and I shivered.   
"I think if we don't shower now I'll never be able to let go of you. We'll continue this when you can properly participate hm?"   
I nodded. While I had desperately wanted to touch him I would have risked irritating my wounds further or even ripping them open again and the logical side of my brain had been shutting down more and more with each kiss. Soon I wouldn't have been able to resist him.  
"Can you tie my hair up?", I asked.   
"I can try."  
He grabbed one of my hair ties and under my instruction tried to twist it into a bun. Some strands fell back out but it was good enough for this purpose. And on top I could shamelessly stare at his torso as he tried to tame my curls.   
Jake turned on the shower and made sure the water was warm enough. He placed my hands on his shoulders and carefully directed me under the stream of water.   
He watched the water pour down my body for a bit before he grabbed the body wash and turned us around, so he was under the shower head.   
He started soaping up my back, dipping lower and giving my butt a light squeeze to which I scolded him. He moved his hands up and down my sides before touching my stomach and upwards until he hit the bottom of my boobs.  
"Can I?"  
His eyes met mine. I nodded and carefully he took each breast into one hand, almost tickling me with how faintly his fingers trailed over the soft skin.   
I gasped as his thumbs flicked over my nipples.   
"I thought we're just showering?", I taunted.   
"I couldn't resist.", he grinned sheepishly and moved on to my shoulders.   
After he finished soaping me up without teasing me further he turned us back around so I could be rinsed off as he applied the body wash to himself.   
One more turn and we both exited the shower.   
Jake dried us off and wrapped us in towels before going out into the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was way too much fun to write...  
> Does anyone have some holy water?


	12. Chapter 12

"Do I at least get one of your shirts to wear as compensation?", I pouted as he picked the skimpiest underwear I had out of my suitcase.   
He had said he'd get my clothes so I wouldn't have to use my arms too much but in reality he just wanted an excuse to decide what I should wear to bed.   
"But only because you'll look adorable in it.", he teased and helped me get dressed before exchanging his towel against a fresh pair of boxers and putting on a shirt.   
"You know you didn't need the shirt.", I pouted.   
"Well maybe not for you but didn't we plan on video calling the others? Might make it way more awkward than it already is."  
"You could flex on Dan."  
He laughed.   
"I doubt it. Isn't he the huge bearded guy?"   
I giggled and nodded.   
"Just don't fight with them okay? Your rib needs some time to heal."  
"So if it wasn't for my rib you'd be okay with me fighting them?"   
That dammed devilish grin.   
"No! And now hush."  
I called Jessy normally first. But we probably would have to turn on the video function soon to prove that I'm not lying. This was going to be interesting.   
"Hey Cassia, I hope you're calling to tell me you're coming tomorrow."  
"That's the plan but I need to tell you all something first, can you get the others?"  
"Uhm...okay?"  
You could hear Jessy calling and footsteps followed soon after.  
"We're all here and listening."  
"Well, I wanted to ask you guys if could take somebody with me tomorrow?"  
Everybody mumbled. Dan seemed to get it first.  
"Please tell me it's not that hacker. Also who meets a person in the hospital for the first time?"  
"Uh well...you're right? But we're not meeting for the first time..."  
At that Jessy squeaked.  
"YOU'VE MET HIM? ARE YOU CRAZY?"  
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jake sulking.  
Another voice spoke up. It had to be Cleo.  
"He's with you isn't he?"  
Before I could answer Jessy started speaking.  
"IN MY APARTMENT?"  
I sighed.  
"Guys listen. I know this sounds crazy but I was desperate..."  
Before I could continue Dan interrupted.  
"For dick huh?", to my surprise he was laughing. But the others certainly weren't. I heard some slaps and an "ouch" from Dan as Jessy cried out.  
"Cassia tell me you didn't do unholy things in my bed. Please!"  
I turned beet red at the thought of our shower earlier. But Jessy didn't need to know that. Besides, it was out of pure necessity, even though it might have escalated a bit.   
"Get your minds out of the gutter damnit!"  
"So you didn't?", Jessy sighed in relief.  
"No. Ugh guys you're idiots."  
Cleo grumbled.  
"I want to hear an explanation of why you lied to us."  
"I had to guys. Giving away his location would have been dangerous to everyone involved."  
"I don't get it.", Dan mumbled.  
"If he's with you, show him.", Jessy challenged.  
"It's fine, I'll explain.", with that Jake took my phone and activated the video function.  
Jessy did the same and you could see everybody huddled close to get a peak at the screen.   
"Gotta admit, all my theories were wrong, you're neither the kidnapper nor some sleezy guy in his forties that lives in his mother's basement. Sorry dude.", Dan laughed and we joined in.   
Jake explained how he picked me up to go to Duskwood and why he had been in hiding for years calmly and patiently.   
"That's such a mess.", Jessy huffed.   
The man next to me only shrugged.   
"So are you guys okay with him coming with us?", I asked.  
"Yeah man, I want to meet both of you badasses. And you owe us the whole story of how you solved the case. I bet Richy and Hannah would want to hear that too.", Dan was super enthusiastic and the rest nodded in unison.  
"See you tomorrow then.", I giggled and we said our goodbyes. 

Jake pulled me against him and wrapped us in a blanket. The both of us were incredibly tired after today but I just couldn't fall asleep.  
I held onto my boyfriend like my life depended on it.  
"You okay?", he murmured, already half asleep.  
"Can't sleep."  
Wordlessly he started caressing my hair and humming one of the songs we listened to on the drive to Duskwood.  
Finally I felt myself relax and drifting off into much needed sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

This time when I blinked awake on top of Jake I didn't feel flustered or uncomfortable. I felt at home.  
Until I remembered something.   
"Shit your ribs!"  
I tried to scoot off of him but was held in place.  
"I'm fine, it doesn't hurt. Just let me enjoy this okay?"  
I sank my head back down against him. There's no arguing with that.  
He was playing with my hair with one hand as the other caressed my back.  
"What time is it?", my voice was muffled against his chest.  
"10 am. We should get up and dressed soon if we want to eat something before meeting the others."  
"I'm starving.", as if on cue my stomach growled.  
"Let's get up and eat then."  
I climbed off him and slid off the bed, grimacing a bit as I moved my arms.  
Jake made the same face as he lifted himself off the mattress.  
As I started looking through the pantries for what we could use to cook, he took one of the prescribed painkillers.  
"Do your arms feel any better?"  
"Yeah, a bit. It's still hella annoying though."  
"I feel you. I can't even pick you up anymore."  
"If that's the worst of your problems.", I laughed.  
"It's up there on the list of worst things."  
He joined in.  
We decided on a quick meal, cooking together and eating while debating over where we could stay after the others came back.  
"We'll have to look at some apartments around here. We're required to stay in Duskwood for now to ensure our safety.", Jake stated.   
"I certainly didn't expect to live with you a few days after meeting."  
"Me neither. But I'm glad that things turned out this way."  
"Me too."  
The drive to the hospital was pretty short but somehow it was stretched out by our nervousness.   
I was hiding my hands in one of Jake's oversized hoodies, at least one thing of my outfit he let me decide on. My jeans were simple and black, making my hair the only colorful part of my look.   
We pulled into the parking lot and walked towards the entrance.   
I noticed red hair out of the corner of my eye.   
Jessy started squeaking and running towards me.   
"Cassia! I'm so happy to finally meet you!"  
She crashed into me and pulled me into an almost suffocating hug.   
"Jessy don't crush her!", Dan laughed. He approached Jake who was obviously very uncomfortable and overwhelmed.   
"Sorry for being such an ass. But you gotta admit you didn't necessarily behave like someone who isn't hella suspicious."  
Hearing Dan apologize seemed to surprise all of us.   
"It's fine, I'd probably have thought the same.", Jake accepted the apology.   
And with that Dan pulled the now extremely uncomfortable hacker into one of those one armed hugs guys do.   
To his luck Dan released him and pulled me into another tight hug.   
"Nice to finally see you Cassia. I'd make a comment about your looks but I think Jake would not appreciate that..."  
His laugh was loud and rumbled through his chest.   
Jake didn't hear it though, he was currently being crashed into by the still squealing Jessy.   
His face contorted in pain and he took in a sharp breath.  
"Did I hurt you? Shit, sorry!", Jessy jumped away from him.   
"It's okay. Just a cracked rib.", he shook his head.   
"How did that happen?", Dan spoke up.   
"It's part of the story we have to tell you when we're with Hannah and Richy.", I answered.   
Cleo hugged me next as Lilly approached her brother. I heard some apologetic words as she carefully hugged him.  
He and Thomas shook hands and he thanked him for finding Hannah.   
Lilly also apologized to me as she hugged me and I told her I had already accepted her apology.   
Thomas told me the same he did to Jake as he shook my hand and with that we entered the hospital.   
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"   
I took my boyfriends hand in mine.   
"No, not really. But I need some getting used to interacting with people in public again. Still feels kind of wrong, you know?"   
"I can only imagine. But you did good. Everyone likes you. Especially Dan."  
"That was honestly the biggest surprise to me. Better than fighting though."  
"Definitely."

After a while we finally reached the room Hannah and Richy were sharing. The nurses scowled at the number of people wanting to visit at the same time but ultimately gave in.   
"Oh guys I'm so happy to see you. And look who we brought!"  
Jessy actually managed to keep her voice down a bit as she opened the door and shoved us in.   
Hannah looked confused and Richy's eyes widened in shock.   
"Cassia? But who... Oh don't tell me that's Jake!", he exclaimed.   
We both said "Hi" in unison.   
Lilly rushed to Hannahs side and leaned in to whisper in her ear.   
Hannah had recognized the name immediately so Lilly rushed to explain that it was in fact their half brother standing in front of them.  
"You're what?!"  
Hannahs voice was still a bit rough as she raised it.   
I let go of Jake's hand and gave him a slight shove towards her. They really needed to catch up and he owed her an explanation.   
Meanwhile Richy opened his arms:  
"Can I at least get a hug?"   
It was directed at me.   
I giggled and stepped to his side, bending down to embrace him.  
"I'm so sorry Richy, I should have stopped you.", I sniffled against him.  
"None of that. It was dumb of me. But it doesn't matter anymore. What matters is how in the world you managed to find us?"  
He released me and I sat down on the chair next to his bed.  
"We'll tell you once Hannah has caught up to your point of knowledge."  
Richy and Hannah were hugged and greeted by the rest of the group as we explained to the latter what had happened in her absence.  
"So one typo while sending you guys Jake's number might have saved us..."  
She struggled to wrap her head around everything.  
"Crazy right? But now I wanna hear what happened after my disappearance.", Richy spoke impatiently.  
I told the others about the videocall and how I saw Richy bleeding.  
"Wait I thought you weren't harmed?", Lilly asked.  
"Well about that.", he scratched the back of his neck. "That fucker hit me in the head to knock me out, just a light concussion from that...but I accidentally bit my tongue and that must have bleed like crazy."  
"You're kidding me!", I exclaimed and Richy shook his head.  
"Embarrassing right?", he laughed now.  
We continued the story, how Jake took me to Duskwood with him, the drama at the police station and how subsequently Jake met his father through that and how we were able to cooperate, the unsuccessful searches in the woods and the call in the middle of the night.  
The two victims explained how the kidnapper had dropped Hannah's phone in the room they were held and how she called her father while Richy stood at the door, listening for their attacker approaching and how the call was cut short as he came back, apparently realizing what he left behind.  
From that Jake explained how he tracked the call and how we were attacked in the station.  
The others stared in shock.  
"So that's how you broke your rib? And Cassia got hurt by the glass?", Dan asked and we nodded.  
"Thank you...", Hannah's voice was cracking from a light sob.  
"It's the least we could do.", I assured her.  
"Soooo... when are you guys going to be released? We want to celebrate!", Jessy piped up to lift the mood.  
"Saturday for both of us.", Richy smiled excitedly.  
That was two days from now.  
"Perfect! We're gonna prepare everything for the best welcome home cabin party ever."  
We all nodded in unison. It was great to finally have something lighthearted to look forward to, without it being overshadowed by the kidnappings.  
Cleo suggested taking Richy for a walk, her intention being that Thomas, who had been rather uncomfortable the whole time, could talk about everything with his girlfriend in peace.  
Everyone agreed and so we left the couple behind.  
"Oh man I missed the sun!", Richy tilted his face upwards and closed his eyes as we exited the hospital.  
We walked around for about half an hour before returning Richy to the hospital. Hannah and Thomas were smiling and holding hands as he entered.  
Everybody gave them a thumbs up and then we left with Thomas.  
The group wanted us to live with them in the cabin until we found a place to stay and we happily agreed.  
Jessy drove with us to her apartment to grab some of her stuff while we got ours.  
The drive to the cabin was uneventful and rather quick, even Jessy was mostly silent. She had packed some wine and told me we'd talk about everything on a girls night today.


	14. Chapter 14

Cleo and Lilly were cooking when we came in while Dan and Thomas heatedly debated a movie plot.  
"Jake! Get your ass over here, we need your opinion!", Dan yelled as soon as he noticed us.  
I gave my boyfriend a soft smile and shoved him in the guys' direction.  
"Go make some friends. I'll be with the girls."  
"Yes mom...", he chuckled but went over to them.  
I helped set the table and occasionally caught a bit of the guys' conversation. Jake sounded like he was heavily invested, even Thomas got a lot more talkative while Dan obviously was his usual loud self. 

"So Cassia, what's with you and Jake?", Jessy asked and elbowed my side. Lilly and Cleo eyed me curiously.   
"Uh well...we're a couple now.", I was nervous for the girls' reactions.   
Jessy squeaked and started hopping up and down.   
"I told you.", Cleo nudged Lilly.   
Lilly actually smiled. Phew.   
"You gotta tell us the details later.", Cleo insisted.   
I nodded: "I'll need a few drinks though."  
The girls laughed.  
Even though I've met them for the first time today, I felt comfortable with them. It was like meeting longtime friends from high school.   
The guys were still heatedly debating while we ate so we stayed mostly silent and giggled about how invested they were. But I was also incredibly glad that they got along so well.  
They didn't stop even after Dinner and dissappeared into Dan's room to let us have our girls night in the living room.   
"Aw that's so adorable!", Jessy squealed about how Jake had asked me out.   
"Lilly? You're okay with me dating your brother?", I glanced at the blonde. She hadn't shown any signs of disapproval but still I worried.   
"Of course not. I trust you both. And on top of that you're *really* cute together.", she giggled, clearly already a bit drunk, just like the rest of us.   
"But you really haven't used my bed for anything traumatizing?", Jessy giggled half serious.   
"I told you we didn't. We only showered together once.", the second sentence escaped me before I really thought about it.   
All three girls' eyes went wide.   
"Tell us about it.", Cleo insisted.   
I cringed.   
"Nothing really happened."  
"Liar. I can see it in your face!", Lilly exclaimed.   
"Ugh fine. But it's not as you guys think.", grumbling I told them how we ended up showering together.   
"I mean it's not absolutely tame but there's certainly less innocent things you could do.", Cleo observed.   
The others nodded.   
"I really don't think I should talk about details like that with his sister.", I sighed.   
"Cass, it's fiiiine, it's not like I'll use it against him.", Lilly was probably the most drunk of us.   
"Where are the guys anyways?", Jessy asked.   
"Let's go look for them.", Cleo got up, holding out her hands for the swaying Lilly.   
We got up the stairs relatively well, although we all held onto the railing.   
When we reached the top we could already hear their voices and neared the door. Before we could knock a concerned Jake opened the door.   
"Are you alright?", he tilted his head and eyed us. We had sat Lilly down on the floor but she apparently decided laying down was much better.   
She gave a thumbs up as the rest of us nodded but yawned.   
"I think we need to get you guys to bed.", Dan squeezed past Jake and picked up Lilly, carrying her to her room while Thomas walked Cleo and Jessy to their shared room.   
"Can you walk?", Jake asked me.  
I just nodded and took his hand.   
He led me to a small bedroom with a double bed but a huge glass wall promising a beautiful view once it was light outside again.   
I let myself fall onto the mattress and reached out for him.   
"I missed youuu."  
He smiled and leaned in for a soft kiss.   
"I missed you too.", he mumbled as he stood back up and started changing into sleepwear.   
I groaned and stripped down to my underwear as he settled into bed beside me.   
"You want my shirt?", he wrapped his arm around my bare waist.   
"No, too warm.", I scooted my back against his chest.   
"You've had a bit too much to drink."  
His giggle softened the scolding words.   
"I knooow. But I think we needed that."  
He just hummed in response.   
I turned around to face him.   
"Saying this drunk probably doesn't count but I wanna say it anyways. I love you."  
Before he could respond I pressed my lips to his. He kissed back eagerly and trailed his hand upwards to cup my face.   
Slowly he pulled back.   
"I'm not drunk so mine counts...", he laughed, "I love you too. You're amazing."  
I whimpered as he got back to kissing me.   
"I'm so glad that even though the circumstances were less then ideal everything turned out ok.", he sighed.   
"All thanks to you."  
I started kissing his neck and he moaned.   
"You're unfair.", he growled.   
I gently bit him before pulling away.   
"How so?"   
"You're to drunk to do more than kissing and your teasing is gonna be the death of me."  
I traced his abs through his shirt. He shuddered.   
"I'm perfectly capable of doing more than that."  
"I don't want you to do anything you wouldn't do sober ok? We can talk about it again when you've slept most of it off."  
I huffed.   
"Fine...but kissing is fair game right?"  
He nodded.   
I scooted upwards and pressed my body tightly against his.   
"Good."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty much just smut, but sweet smut.  
> Bon appetite ;)

Sunrays hit my face which caused me to groan and roll over, bumping into Jake.   
"Good morning."  
His voice was even deeper than usual and his hand caressed my side leaving goosebumps behind.   
"How hungover are you?"  
I could hear his smile through his voice.   
"Well I don't really get hangovers...so just a bit more tired than usual."  
"What? That's extremely unfair."  
I giggled and kissed him.   
His hand immediately moved to my butt and I squeaked.   
"Does your offer from last night still stand?"  
Without another word he grabbed my hips and rolled me on top of him while his lips found my neck.   
I gasped and shuddered.   
He bit an especially sensitive spot and my hips bucked against his, evoking a moan from both of us.   
"Tell me if I hurt you ok?", he pulled away for a quick second to meet my eyes before kissing and biting my collar bone.   
I nodded.   
"Is your rib okay?"  
"As long as you don't put pressure on it directly I'm fine."  
Satisfied with his answer I placed my hands on his chest and bent down to continue my attack on his neck from yesterday.   
His hands slid over my back one hand holding me steady by my hip as the other trailed up my side over my bra and caressed the top of my boob that spilled out.   
I moaned against his neck and ground my hips down once again.   
His excitement was pressing against me now.   
Suddenly he sat up, settling me onto his lap and tugged off his shirt.   
My hips moved in approval and he moaned into my neck.   
"You're so impatient.", he scolded as his hand found the clasp of my bra and opened it, dragging the straps off my arms carefully.   
"You're the one who complained about teasing last night."  
"Teasing is only good if you get what you want in the end."  
He grumbled and before I could respond his lips latched onto my left nipple.   
The sounds I made got louder and I slightly scratched my nails over his chest.   
"Jake...they're...ah...they're gonna hear us."  
"It's fine, they're all downstairs already, I saw them when I went to the bathroom earlier."  
He barely pulled away from my skin and got right back to it.   
His other hand moved to occupy my right breast and I almost screamed.   
In an attempt for revenge I scratched down his chest, over his abs and traced the waistband of his boxers and caressed his thigh, intentionally not touching him where he obviously wanted me to.   
A growl erupted against my skin.   
I shuddered and moved my hand onto his bulge, his hips bucking to meet my touch.   
I kept rubbing him through the fabric for a while before grabbing the waistband and tugging.   
He understood and moved to help me slide the clothing off.   
I stroked him as he buried his face in the crook of my neck but shortly after his hands slid down to remove my panties.   
I kicked them off my feet and slid back into my previous spot grinding skin to skin for the first time.   
"Have you ever...?", he gasped.   
I blushed and shook my head.   
"You're sure you want this?"   
"Yes.", my voice was faint but my tone was determined.   
His hand slowly crept down my stomach and I grabbed onto his shoulders to keep myself steady as he carefully traced me before inserting a finger.  
He pumped me for a while making me tremble and claw at his skin then he added another finger.   
His other hand reached for the nightstand pulling out a condom, retreating his fingers to open the package and sliding it on.   
"Ready?"   
"Yes."  
I lifted myself up a bit, my hands still on his shoulder as one of his rested on my hip, while he aligned himself with me with the other hand.   
Carefully I sunk down, taking him inch by inch.   
He moved his hand to my hip and dug his fingers into my skin muffling his moan against my neck.   
I settled on his lap again grinding carefully at first before lifting myself and sinking back down, my legs jittering from the sensations.   
Jake's lips were still worshipping my neck his breath tickling me with every moan.  
He helped me move up and down, slowly increasing the speed.   
My legs were starting to tremble and I couldn't bite back the sounds that escaped me.   
"Don't hold back.", he growled against my skin and sped up a bit more, pushing me over the edge.   
I cried out and clenched around him as he followed suit, both of us panting heavily as I slumped against him.   
"I love you, and this time it counts.", I mumbled as I was starting to catch my breath.   
"I love you too.", he laughed.  
"How about a quick shower and then we'll go see if the others made some food?"   
"Sounds good."

**Author's Note:**

> This is definitely not how episode 8 is going to continue but I probably won’t like whatever is going to happen in that episode so strap in friends we’re going to denial town.


End file.
